A bright moon hung high in the sky, casting a pale, cold light onto the lush trees, creating dancing shadows.
It was around nine o'clock in the evening. This was a small park that closed at night, and two strong beams of light flickered within it.
Upon closer inspection, they were two young people, not much older, and judging by their clothing, they appeared to be high school students from a nearby school.
"Tao Wen, isn't it a bit wrong for us to come here so late?" said a tall young man wearing a hooded jacket, his voice trembling.
"Li Dazhuang, what are you afraid of? You're such a big guy, what can they do to us? We don't have any money on us, what more could they want? Have some courage!" said a thin young man contemptuously.
"But my mom said..." Li Dazhuang tried to argue with Tao Wen.
"Ignore them. All that talk about people disappearing if they come here at night is just to scare kids. How old are you still believing that?" Tao Wen said impatiently.
"But..."
"Can you stop being so indecisive? I have to see for myself what's so strange about this place today. Didn't we bet with those guys that we'd stay here for a night? After we go back, we'll see who dares to say you're a coward." Sudancd.com
Tao Wen pulled Li Dazhuang along, continuing their exploration.
They were at an age of rebellion. During the day, they had bet with other classmates that they dared to spend a night here, so they had come at night.
Tao Wen wasn't as tough as he claimed, but since he had made a bet, it was difficult for him to lose face by cheating.
As they walked, their mood relaxed. The scary rumors about this place were truly exaggerated. They had walked for so long without finding anything frightening.
It was just a typical night in a park.
As they walked, their view suddenly opened up. Ahead lay a large lawn, with a thick oak tree in the center. This oak tree was much thicker than a person, and it was impossible to tell how many years it had been growing.
The vast canopy formed a large area of shade. When the sun was strong during the day, many people liked to cool off under this tree. Tao Wen and Li Dazhuang had been here before, so they didn't find anything strange about this large tree.
"Is anyone there..." a voice from an old woman came from behind the tree, startling the two of them.
Tao Wen and Li Dazhuang exchanged glances, both trembling slightly. Hearing an old woman's voice in a deserted park late at night sounded very strange.
"Yes, what's wrong, old lady?" Li Dazhuang asked loudly after a moment of hesitation.
"I sprained my ankle. Can you take me home?" the old woman behind the tree said weakly.
"Why are you in the park so late at night..." Tao Wen felt something was amiss, so he asked.
"Who says I came late at night!" the old woman's speech quickened, sounding somewhat angry.
"I came for a walk during the day and fell near the tree. So many people around, and no one helped me. No one paid any attention to me until the park closed. I've been sitting here for so long, I'm starving."
As she mentioned starving, the old woman behind the tree swallowed loudly, adding a bit more credibility to her words.
"Didn't your family come looking for you?" Tao Wen asked after thinking for a moment.
"Those brats are all busy, they don't have time to bother with me," the old woman said angrily.
Tao Wen and Li Dazhuang exchanged glances, both feeling that the old woman wasn't lying, or rather, they subconsciously ignored that possibility.
Recently, there had been frequent news about elderly people falling without anyone helping them. Whether this was a distortion of human nature or a decline in morality, the situation the old woman described was not impossible.
"Old lady, please wait a moment, we'll help you out right away," Li Dazhuang said loudly.
Most high school students nowadays have a strong sense of justice. They are not like some adults who become timid and overly cautious due to certain incidents, thus losing something precious. They believe that the world is generally good.
Until this innocence is worn away by life's hardships...
"Students are kind-hearted. Thank you, old lady." The old woman's continuous thanks made the two feel even more accomplished.
Helping an old lady instead of having to stay in the park for a night seemed like a reasonable excuse. Thus, the two of them walked towards the old woman.
Behind the oak tree, a sinister aura began to manifest. The soil trembled slightly, waiting for the two to get close enough to finish them off completely!
"Wait, I'll help this old woman!"
Just as they were halfway there, a man appeared behind them and extended a "welcoming hand," stopping them.
Li Dazhuang and Tao Wen turned to look, and cold sweat instantly covered their bodies. Their legs went weak, and they could only stand by supporting each other. At this moment, they believed the rumors about the park were true.
Behind them stood a man in a white lab coat, wearing a black mask with a filter. His narrow eyes glinted with madness.
That alone wasn't scary enough; this man was holding a giant chainsaw!
Behind him, there was a large cloth bag, and inside it was a cylindrical object that looked quite heavy.
Li Dazhuang's flashlight immediately fell from his hand in shock. Tao Wen cried out in fear, but his hand still held the flashlight tightly, shining it on the man's face, making his eyes appear even smaller.
"Who... who are you?" Tao Wen asked, his voice trembling.
"Don't shine that in my eyes, it's blinding me," the man in the white lab coat said, pressing Tao Wen's flashlight down. Judging by his voice, it was Wen Wen.
"Who I am is not important. What's important is that respecting the old and caring for the young is a traditional virtue of Huafu District. The old woman's leg is severely injured, and supporting her rashly could cause serious consequences, so let me do it!"
"We can't, why can you?" Li Dazhuang grumbled softly, not expecting the sharp-eared Wen Wen to hear him clearly.
Wen Wen didn't get angry. Instead, he gently patted Li Dazhuang's head and asked, "Let me ask you a question, what do doctors usually wear?"
"A wh... white lab coat," Li Dazhuang stammered in reply.
"I'm wearing a white lab coat, so I'm a doctor. I've come to treat this old woman," Wen Wen said earnestly.
The old woman behind the tree became flustered and said loudly, "I'm not sick, just let these two children help me back."
"Heh, not sick? If you're not sick, why don't you take a couple of steps?" Wen Wen raised an eyebrow and said loudly.
The old woman behind the tree: "..."
Tao Wen and Li Dazhuang: "..."
Take a couple of steps, my foot! You're a bad person.
"But..." Li Dazhuang wanted to say a few more words. From the previous conversation, he thought Wen Wen was just mentally unstable but still capable of normal communication.
Wen Wen's kind eyes turned menacing. He applied more force to the hand on Li Dazhuang's head, as if threatening to crush his skull if he spoke again.